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Friday, February 28, 2014

I hope your guessing muscles haven't gotten gross and flabby this winter because we've got another installment of the Writerly Habitats game for you right now!

I’ve got a real stumper for you this week so point your peepers at this picture, #ValPals!

Who sits at this desk, weaving the words that give you ALL THE FEELS?

I can see that you’re squinting, trying to examine the little details. Go ahead. Increase your screen resolution if you must and enlarge the photo to scrutinize for clues, even though that’s totally unsportsmanlike, if you ask me. I mean, why don’t you just go back through all the previous Writerly Habitats photos and eliminate who’s already be featured, which will increase the likelihood of guessing correctly?

Doh!

Why did I just tell you that? I’m practically handing you the answer!

Well, when you think you know whose desk this is, leave a comment below. Every comment enters you to win, and even a wrong guess counts.*

This week’s winner will receive a copy of Jennifer Echols’ SUCH A RUSH.

Get to it now, and NO CHEATING, you cheatery cheats. I see you aiming that electron microscope of yours at the picture already.

*Void in Missouri.**

**OK, fine. This contest is not really void in Missouri. I was just kidding about that. I know I shouldn’t poke fun at you Missourians. I mean, if you’re living in Missouri right now, you’ve got enough problems as it is, right?

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Since I just turned in the BURN OUT sequel to my editor, I rewarded myself with a trip to Barnes & Noble and picked up a copy of Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. It was one of those books that sucked me in and also had me in awe of Ms. Rowell's writing ability. The kind of writing that makes you doubt your own ability to write because it's THAT good. Anyway, I wanted to share my book love for Eleanor & Park and highly recommend it for any fans of contemporary YA...and also for fans of 80's music!

From Goodreads:

Set over the
course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two
star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never
lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park,
you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you
under.

So, our post has to be the sweetest, friendliest, BFF'est post ever, right?

Snoop says fo' shizzle, y'all be my BFF's!

So this is why we've chosen today to reveal the final cover of our fourteen amazing YA VALENTINE books! It's a complete set here on the Valentines' blog!

Get your happy dance on! It's cover time!

But wait! Before you scroll down, we have some Valentine's love giveaways for you! One lucky winner will receive a big box of Valentine's Candy! And the second lucky winner will receive a big box of Valentine's Candy AND...hold it.....your CHOICE of one of our fourteen Val books! All you have to do is enter the Rafflecopter and tell us, if a candy heart represented you, what would it say?

ValPals deserve candy!!

And now, for the reveal. But first, a word from author, Jaye Robin Brown about the cover.

Hi ValPals! I'm so happy to be sharing my cover on Valentine's Day with you!! This cover was exactly the imagery I wanted. My main character, Amber, keeps a map on her wall and she thumbtacks various locations. This map represents both "the where" of Amber's dreams and some of her misguided attempts to achieve them. Here's a quote:

C.A.’s off the bed and heads straight for the thumbtacked map on the wall opposite me. “What’s this?” Her finger bounces from point to point.

“Hometowns of people I’ve met. Cities where there are supposed to be cool music festivals. Places I want to go.”

“Do you have a color coding system or something?”

If I tell her yes— blue for hiker boys, green for music festivals, red for the afternoon with Will—she’s sure to ask me to explain it.

I can't give you more than that, because, hey, no spoilers! But, you can see why I was thrilled Harper Teen chose to use it. But the coolest part? My very own editor made the little foam heart tack they used in the cover shoot. We both loved the slight irregularity of it because it seems like something Amber would have made herself. What do you think? IT'S MY COVER!!!!!! *cue ridiculous giggling from happiness*

Please be sure and enter my reveal giveaway as well as The Vals giveaways. I'm giving away this matted piece of artwork, made by me, the author. This is one of my favorite quotes from the book. I love the uncaged bird imagery, the subtle mountains below, and the sprinkling of mica onto the surface of the painting, because it can be found everywhere in the area where Amber's fictional home of Sevenmile, NC is located. AND!!! That's not all. I'm also giving away an Annotated ARC (once I have them) so you can learn some of the inside dirt (or mica) from No Place To Fall! You can enter both of my giveaways (though I'll pick separate winners) or only the ARC or the artwork if you're not interested in the other. You won't hurt my feelings :)!

This will be in a purple mat, overall measurement approx. 20" x 20"

Because of size and bulk of the painting it's a continental USA giveaway only. The ARC is open to US/Canada.

Isn't that great ValPals? Now don't forget, sign up quick into all three of these giveaways. And yes, you can win both the Jaye Robin Brown-No Place To Fall artwork/ARC and one of the Vals' candy giveaways, but you can't win both Vals' prizes or both No Place To Fall prizes? Make sense?

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF OUR BOOKS AND THE FOURTEEN OF US IN OUR DEBUT YEAR. MWAH!

Friday, February 7, 2014

Sorry about putting that syringe full
of sodium pentothol into your neck and also for throwing a bag over your head
and then chucking you into the back of my van. But I didn’t want us to be
followed.

Here’s the deal: I’m giving away the very first ARC of
TABULA RASA.

“The very first ARC of TABULA RASA?” you say.

SHHHHHH!
Don’t say it out loud like that! What’s the matter with you? Didn't I JUST SAY this was a secret? Yeesh.

If you’re smart, you’ll tell no one of this. I mean it.

If you want to increase your chances of winning, then trust
no one. No tweeting, no Tumblr, and especially do NOT tell that shifty-eyed
crit partner of yours. That girl looks like she came straight outta central
casting. I'm telling you, she's the perfect Seemingly-Trustworthy BFF Who Then Betrays Us
All to the Enemy.

Here’s the story:

The Bourne Identity meets Divergent in this
heart-pounding debut.

Sixteen-year-old Sarah has a rare chance at a new life. Or so the doctors
tell her. She’s been undergoing a cutting-edge procedure that will render her a
tabula rasa—a blank slate. Memory by memory her troubled past is
being taken away.But when her final surgery is interrupted and a team of elite soldiers
invades the isolated hospital under cover of a massive blizzard, her fresh
start could be her end.Navigating familiar halls that have become a dangerous maze with the help of
a teen computer hacker who’s trying to bring the hospital down for his own
reasons, Sarah starts to piece together who she is and why someone would want
her erased. And she won’t be silenced again.A high-stakes thriller featuring a non-stop race for survival and a smart
heroine who will risk everything, Tabula Rasa is, in short,
unforgettable.

OK, then. You got all that? You have one week. Enter to win below.
(Sorry, U.S. only. No foreign nationals have clearance for this giveaway.)

To cap it all off, we'll be holding a twitter party on Wednesday, February 12th at 6:30 PM EST. We will be chatting about books, embarrassing Valentine moments and other fun things! There will be prizes from the authors! Virtual snacks! The hashtag is #YAValsFormal and we hope to see you all there!

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

It's here, it's here, it's here!!! The day we've all been waiting for:

Bethany Hagen's LANDRY PARK is officially out in the world!! (And holy crap, that cover, right?!?! SO gorgeous!)

This one felt appropriate since LANDRY PARK is set in an opulent world of money, huge homes, dresses,parties, and oh yeah...radioactive Rootless who are all dying to help keep this glittering world running.

Intrigued yet? You should be! This book was freaking amazing. I read it one day, staying up WAAAAY past my bedtime to finish it. (With three young kids who are going to come pouncing bright and early the next day, you know that doesn't happen very often.) I loved everything about this story...well, except for the heartbreaking scenes with little kids who were exposed to radiation. As a mom, that was a tough pill to swallow. But the fact that it made me feel so upset just shows what a great job Bethany did creating this world. It had it all, intrigue, romance, suspense. I loved it! Now I'm dying for the next one!

Seriously, you should run out and get this book RIGHT NOW. You won't regret it!

Congrats Bethany, I'm so happy and excited for you!!!

To celebrate, Bethany very graciously offered to give away a signed copy of LANDRY PARK!! Follow the Rafflecopter options below, good luck, and happy reading!!